As some of you may or may not know, the deadline to register to vote is fast approaching here in Michigan. There are only 5 days left to register to vote until the deadline of Oct. 6 – so get out there Detroiters and do your civic duty. With so many important issues facing everyone we all know how important it is to have our voices heard.

To help motivate Detroiters, and Michiganders (Michiganians?), as well as show some support for his candidate of choice (Barack Obama), Jay-Z will be in town performing a FREE concert. The concert takes place in Cobo Arena and all you need to do to check out this show is pick up your FREE ticket at one of the many offices of the Campaign for Change found in Detroit, Dearborn, Southfield and Wayne County’s Canton Township. So what are you waiting for? Go get those tickets!

I don’t know about y’all, but hopefully I’ll be able to make it and maybe I’ll even see you there.

That’s right, if you don’t register to vote by October 6, then you will not have a vote in this year’s election.

Today, I attended a volunteer training session at Obama HQ* in Detroit (near the Fisher Building) to help canvass for voter registration.

I was shocked to hear from our Field Organizer that there are almost 180,000 eligible but unregistered voters in Detroit. That’s a lot of people!

But registering to vote is extremely easy. Here are a few ways:

1. Print out this form, and send it in to the Secretary of State. All the information you need is there, but please be sure to fill out the form completely or else your registration may be thrown out.

2. Contact your local Obama headquarters (see a list here) and ask for a voter registration form to be sent to you. They will be sure to get you a voter registration form and may deliver one personally.

3. Register to vote with one of the many volunteers out there with clipboards full of blank registration forms. You’ll find us (for I am one of them) at local festivals or knocking door to door, outside of grocery stores and churches and banks. Be nice to us. We’re just trying to do our part for America.

And if you’re already registered to vote, take 10 minutes of your time to email your friends or call your family to ask if they’re registered to vote. You may be surprised to learn that they aren’t registered.

I first heard about the charges brought against the mayor and Christine Beatty at about 11 this morning. It is now 6:30, and I am already sick of hearing about it. And it has only been 7 and a half hours! This is sure to be headline news around here for some time in the future, so I guess I better prepare myself.

I don’t know why, but it was comforting to come across this AP story and read about cities like Newark and Austin, both of whose mayors are currently embroiled in scandals. Unfortunately, it seems that, like Kwame, neither of these mayors has resigned.

I had my book club on Tuesday evening during the mayor’s State of the City address, so I didn’t hear it as it was happening, but I hard plenty about it on the local news when I arrived home that evening. The mayor said a lot during the speech, but the biggest hoopla to come out of the night were his remarks that the media is acting like a lynch mob against him and his blatant use of the N-word. (more…)

But it’s clear that the GOP primary will be very long, very heated, and very expensive. With nothing to gain by voting between Hillary or Uncommitted, I have a feeling that Michigan Democrats did what they could to help their party.

While I would rather have had a true Democratic Primary in Michigan as well, the decision to move our primaries up to January 15 was a success because it made our issues the issues of the American political media for a solid week. We do need more economic stimulus and a fair playing field for the American auto industry. We do need job growth and an end to the stream of foreclosures plaguing the state. And for a week, the nation listened and took notice. One week on the national platform may not be much, but it’s more than all of the Super Tuesday states will get.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on Romney wins Michigan. Republicans in Disarray. America Listens to Michigan for a Week

Michigan’s primary election takes place this Tuesday, January 15, and as many of you know, the Democratic choice will be between Hillary Clinton and Dennis Kucinich (and “Uncommitted,” if you really want to vote for Obama and Edwards, but can’t). THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT: DO NOT WRITE IN A CANDIDATE’S NAME ON THE BALLOT. YOUR BALLOT WILL BE TOSSED. (I don’t know why this is. I haven’t been able to figure out. But everyone says it’s true, so don’t do it.)

But there is one other choice….

Michigan Democrats can make a difference in the overall election after all. The beauty part of Michigan’s primary election rules is that you can cast a ballot for either party, no matter your party affiliation. And since Hillary will be the winner anyway, why not shake things up in the Republican primary, by voting for Mitt Romney.
Daily Kos, a popular Progressive blog, is rallying the troops to upset the Republican election like we did in 2000 when our state went for John McCain over George W. Bush, after then Governor John Engler (remember that scumbag?) “guaranteed” a win the Bush.

Here’s why you may want to vote for Romney:

The longer the Republican primaries go on, the more money they’ll spend and the more they will attack each other, viciously. Mitt Romney has pulled his money out of other states and has bet his political future on Michigan this Tuesday. If he wins, he stays in. If he loses, he lost for good. The longer he’s in, the better for the Democrats.

So by voting Romney, it turns out that the Democrats in Michigan can effect change with their primary vote.

If you feel particularly strongly about Hillary, then by all means vote for her. But instead of voting for “uncommitted” and hoping the Democratic party gives back some of Michigan’s delegates at the convention, why not shake things up a bit?

I know, I know. If you do vote for Romney, you may feel a little dirty and in need of a shower after leaving the polls. However, if you want real change in Washington, if you want to hold the Bush Administration accountable for every pernicious lie and abuse of power over the past 8 years, then the “big picture” candidate for Michigan Democrats is Mitt Romeny.

It seems as though Michigan’s Republican Senate, with its slimy leader Mike Bishop at the helm, will refuse to take up a measure to force four Democratic Presidential candidates–Barack Obama, Bill Richardson, John Edwards, and Christopher Dodd–back onto the ballot after they pulled their names from the running when Michigan announced an early primary date of January 15.

On WDET today, I heard the pompous Bishop say that it’s not the job of the Senate to get in the middle of Democrat’s affairs and that such a vote would be keeping the legislature from discussing more pressing issues, like the never-ending state budget negotiations. Like most political talk meant to divert citizens from understanding the true motives behind a decision, Bishop makes a somewhat-valid point. However, the Republicans have something to gain by not allowing the Democrats to have a primary with a full slate of candidates.

Michigan election laws allow citizens to vote in either party primary, regardless of one’s party affiliation. Since Hillary is basically a lock to beat Dennis Kucinich, many Independents and Democrats may spend their votes on the Republican primary. Thus Republicans can argue that higher poll numbers shows that Michigan is leaning Republican. In addition, the Republicans will be able to flout the fact that they provided Michigan citizens with a true primary, that Republicans were unafraid to challenge Iowa and New Hampshire by coming to Michigan. They can claim that the Democrats really don’t care as much about Michigan’s people as the Republicans do. Based on recent Republican policies and actions, this is patently untrue to me, but they will make the argument nonetheless.

I certainly would have liked to have had a true Democratic primary here in Michigan with all of the candidates on the ballot. However, four candidates decided that they couldn’t suffer the backlash from Iowans and New Hampshirites should they leave their small, un-diverse populations to run in a state that actually matters in the general election and better represents the country as a whole. As much as I respect all four candidates (and I’m rather partial to Richardson), I feel that this was an act of political cowardice.

I was kind of on the fence about Hillary, but at least she didn’t chicken out, and it doesn’t seem as though there has been any backlash in Iowa or New Hampshire (although she has refrained from paying the Mitten a visit). She’s got guts, she’s smart, and she’ll make a good president.

So on the 15th, I’m going to go into the voting booth and press my pointer finger on the electronic screen next to the “Hillary Clinton” box with pride. I’m not a betting man, but I’ll put my odds on Hillary by a landslide.

Posted in Politics | Comments Off on “Oh Bummer!” for Barack Supporters

Detroit Census TriplicationMollika* I had to return a fourth survey. I am representing the non-Doctor Indian population of Detroit :0)likwidshoe It’s all about representation, not funding. Detroiters needs to lose the entitlement mindset.